Figuarts Zero One Piece Chopper (New World Ver.) Figure Review

When it comes to One Piece Figuarts Zero figures, I know that I’m one of the most positive reviewers around. I feel like Bandai gets a really bad rap for the few bad figures in the line, while the majority of the Figuarts Zero One Piece figures released are pretty fantastic. Ordinarily I review the better figures Bandai has released, but today I’m got one of the not-so-great releases: the Figuarts Zero One Piece Tony Tony Chopper (New World Ver.) figure…

The Right:

While I really liked the original Figuarts Zero Tony Tony Chopper figure (in his pre-timeskip attire), that figure seemed monstrously big next to some of his crew mates. That problem has been fixed with this Bandai Chopper New World Figuarts Zero figure, which has been scaled down a little bit and looks much more appropriate now next to the other Straw Hat Pirates figures.

Another thing I positively love about this New World Chopper figure is that Bandai gave him a much smaller figure base display stand this time. The original, pre-timeskip Figuarts Chopper came with a huge oval stand that made it really difficult to pose Chopper near any of his comrades.

With this miniscule rectangular figure stand, the Figuarts Zero Chopper (New World Ver.) figure can easily be posed near the Mugiwaras or any other figure in the One Piece Figuarts Zero line.

The other thing I really appreciate about this Figuarts Zero Tony Tony Chopper New World figure is that he’s cheap–as in “super cheap”. I got mine for just 15 bucks shipped, making this the single most inexpensive Figuarts Zero figure I’ve ever purchased!

The Bandai Figuarts Zero Chopper (New World Ver.) figure has a movable head, which gives him a little bit of extra personality, although the flexibility is pretty restricted by the shape of Chopper’s head and body. In addition, Chopper includes an alternate right arm holding the stick he has at the start of the New World arc of the One Piece manga and anime, though it’s not nearly as nice or detailed as the one that the MegaHouse POP Sailing Again Chopper comes with.

The Wrong:

The most common complaint I see about the Bandai Figuarts Zero One Piece line is that sometimes the production figures don’t look as good as the prototypes. In this instance, that argument is totally valid. Bandai has done a really lackluster job with the quality-control on this New World Tony Tony Chopper figure.

Saying that the paint apps on Chopper’s hat are “sloppy” would be an understatement. As you can see in the photo above, Chopper’s hat has paint running all over the place. White running on pink, chunks where the white has been overapplied, places where the pink runs over onto the blue, uneven lines of white paint… it just looks awful. There’s also a thin line of yellow paint that dripped across a white stripe on Chopper’s shirt. I don’t expect perfection in a figure this scale, but I don’t expect to see such careless work from Bandai either.

Even if the paint applications were ideal, there’s still something “off” about this Tony Tony Chopper figure. The yellow-ish color they chose for Chopper’s fur is way too much of a cream color, and I feel like his antlers are extending out a tad too much to be in scale with the rest of the figure. In short, I feel like this Figuarts Zero One Piece Chopper New World Ver. figure just falls a little bit short of being a good representation of New World Chopper.

“Where Can I Buy It?!”

Overall: I really do believe that the Bandai Figuarts Zero One Piece line is vastly underrated, but this Tony Tony Chopper figure is a good example of why some people have been turned off by the line. The quality-control on Chopper’s paint is far less well-done than I’m accustomed to from Bandai or MegaHouse, and I feel like the paints chosen and likeness just aren’t quite at the level of most other Figuarts Zero figures. If you’re building the Figuarts Zero Straw Hats crew you’ll need Chopper–and he is cheap–but on his own this Figuarts Tony Tony Chopper (New World Ver.) figure is pretty mediocre.